Stan Lee’s Work Force Book 3, Chapter 4: The Evil Plan

Bossman sits at the head of a conference room table. His hands are clasped together, his fingers interlocked. He smiles, but it is impossible to tell who or what the target of his affection is from behind his impenetrable black sunglasses.

The Delightful Greeting Cards company has, as one would expect, a delightful conference room. It is adorned with pleasant artwork and inspirational pictures. Colorful images of puppy dogs, flowers, and ice cream hang on the walls.

In the center of the room is a large mahogany table. Around the wooden slab sits the motley crew of villains that are employed by the paper and ink enterprise. Their dark morose costumes are at odds with the joyful environment.

“How did this happen?” Bossman asks without breaking his smile.

The villains trade glances of confusion. “You’re going to have to be a little more specific, boss,” Decimator says.

Bossman unlocks his hands and picks up a greeting card from the table. The cover of the card is basic with only a large red heart in the center. Bossman opens the card which contains an illustration that reveals the heart on the cover is actually a box of candy that has now been opened. A number of the chocolates inside have been eaten. Wrappers lay beside the pilfered box. The caption reads: My heart is candy box.

“My heart… is candy box,” Bossman reads. He looks to his employees for an explanation. No one makes a peep. “My heart is candy box. What is this? It doesn’t even make sense.”

“I believe that one was Whisper’s, sweetheart,” Ice Queen doesn’t hesitate to place the blame.

Bossman turns to Whisper. The teleporting ninja hovers at the conference table without a chair beneath him. “…….” Whisper replies. Bossman and the others lean in closer to try and hear him better.

Bossman shakes his head in frustration and points to the caption. “Even if we add an ‘a’ here, I don’t know what idea you are trying to convey.” Bossman strains while struggling to contain his anger. “How did this get through to the printer? No one caught this?”

“We don’t exactly have an editor on staff,” Decimator justifies.

“EXACTLY!” Bossman bursts forth. “We do not have an editor, but I think I know where we can get one without even leaving the building.”

“Count Nemesis? From that group of weirdos downstairs?” Ice Queen guesses.

“Yes. If he could be turned he’d make a powerful addition to our organization,” Bossman hypothesizes, tapping his fingertips together. “But first we must see if he’s villainous enough.”

The villains all look to their boss, unsure of what emotion he’s eliciting under those shades. “Let’s whiteboard some ideas,” he orders.

What plan will the villains come up with? Stay tuned to find out – new chapters of STAN LEE’S WORK FORCE are posted every Tuesday and Thursday!